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Racial differences in foot disorders and foot type
Author(s) -
Golightly Yvonne M.,
Hannan Marian T.,
Dufour Alyssa B.,
Jordan Joanne M.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
arthritis care and research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.032
H-Index - 163
eISSN - 2151-4658
pISSN - 2151-464X
DOI - 10.1002/acr.21752
Subject(s) - medicine , foot (prosody) , body mass index , pes planus , valgus , odds ratio , confidence interval , pes cavus , demography , physical therapy , surgery , philosophy , linguistics , sociology , complication
Objective To describe racial differences in the frequency of structural foot disorders and pes planus and pes cavus foot types in a large cohort of African American and white men and women ages ≥50 years. Methods Of 1,695 Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project participants evaluated for foot disorders/types in 2006–2010, 4 with lower extremity amputation were excluded, leaving 1,691 available for analyses (mean age 69 years, mean body mass index [BMI] 31.5 kg/m 2 , 68% women, 31% African American). The most common foot disorders/types were identified using a validated foot examination. Each foot disorder/type was compared by race using logistic regression, controlling for age, BMI, and sex. Effect modification between race (African American versus white) and age, BMI (categorized as ≥30 kg/m 2 [obese] or <30 kg/m 2 [nonobese]), sex, and education was examined. Results Hallux valgus (64%), hammer toes (35%), overlapping toes (34%), and pes planus (23%) were common. Compared to whites, African Americans were almost 3 times more likely to have pes planus and were nearly 5 times less likely to have Tailor's bunions or pes cavus. Among the nonobese, African Americans were more likely than whites to have hallux valgus (adjusted odds ratio [OR adj ] 2.01, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.39–2.92), hammer toes (OR adj 2.64, 95% CI 1.88–3.70), and overlapping toes (OR adj 1.53, 95% CI 1.09–2.13). Conclusion Foot disorders are common among adults ages ≥50 years and differ by race. Future research is needed to determine the etiology of foot problems, especially those with racial differences, in order to inform prevention approaches.